Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Cloud, MN and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $1,929 in St. Cloud, MN, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in St. Cloud, MN
Learn more

St. Cloud, MN Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

St. Cloud, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$1,929

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in St. Cloud, MN and in Budapest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in St. Cloud, MN and in Budapest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,929 per month in St. Cloud, MN vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

St. Cloud, MN $1,929
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,044 per month in St. Cloud, MN vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

St. Cloud, MN $3,044
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $4,158 per month in St. Cloud, MN vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

St. Cloud, MN $4,158
Budapest $3,489

St. Cloud, MN costs about 19% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both St. Cloud, MN and Budapest sit above the global median – St. Cloud, MN by 44%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.17 $20.17

$13.99 Ft 4,554

44.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 $74.1

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

22.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 $11.08

$9.96 Ft 3,244

11.24%

Cappuccino

$5.87 $5.87

$3.38 Ft 1,101

73.67%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.13 Ft 693

31.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.87 Ft 609

31.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.86 $6.86

$3.75 Ft 1,222

82.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.08 $8.08

$3.57 Ft 1,163

126.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.13 Ft 369

-32.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.84 Ft 599

51.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$2.39 Ft 777

37.24%

Eggs

$2.31 $2.31

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-39.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$11.33 Ft 3,688

-57.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 $9.61

$6.74 Ft 2,193

42.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.95 $17.95

$14.69 Ft 4,783

22.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.80 $3.80

$1.84 Ft 598

106.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$2.01 Ft 654

-35.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.36 Ft 767

43.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-42.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 $0.79

$0.96 Ft 314

-17.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.03 Ft 335

62.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.56 Ft 509

30.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$0.66 Ft 216

177.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 $9.97

$7.96 Ft 2,593

25.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.87 $11.87

$6.01 Ft 1,955

97.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.30 Ft 422

36.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.08 Ft 677

57.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.50 Ft 489

38.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,989

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 $3.01

$3.30 Ft 1,075

-8.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.30 Ft 424

48.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.78 $32.78

$19.78 Ft 6,441

65.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.81 Ft 591

-51.38%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$32.4K $32.4K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

10.63%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$22.5K $22.5K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-33.93%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$168 $168

$170 Ft 55.3K

-0.97%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$45.83 $45.83

$23.98 Ft 7,808

91.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.18 $44.18

$23.42 Ft 7,627

88.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.54 $41.54

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-37.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,244

Cinema Ticket

$14.03 $14.03

$9.52 Ft 3,101

47.37%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,697 $1,697

$537 Ft 174.8K

216.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K $24.3K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

46.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.6 $62.6

$101 Ft 33.0K

-38.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 $62.2

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

44.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.9 $73.9

$113 Ft 36.7K

-34.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.4 $85.4

$119 Ft 38.7K

-28.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$992 $992

$805 Ft 262.2K

23.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 $819

$629 Ft 204.9K

30.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 $1,892

$1,549 Ft 504.5K

22.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,626 $1,626

$1,167 Ft 380.0K

39.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,638 $2,638

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-53.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,594 $2,594

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-34.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,096 $6,096

$1,626 Ft 529.4K

274.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.61

6.43

2.80%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for St. Cloud, MN: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

St. Cloud, MN

$819 42.4%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 23.2% $190

Eating Out

St. Cloud, MN

$337 17.4%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 33.4% $112

Groceries & Markets

St. Cloud, MN

$300 15.5%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 14.2% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Cloud, MN

$258 13.4%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 15.9% $41

Clothing & Footwear

St. Cloud, MN

$128 6.6%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 32.3% $41

Sport & Entertainment

St. Cloud, MN

$70 3.6%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 22.5% $16

Getting Around

St. Cloud, MN

$21 * 1.1%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 107% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $992 in St. Cloud, MN versus $805 in Budapest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 275% higher in St. Cloud, MN, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in St. Cloud, MN versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $300 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 St. Cloud, MN

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

02:41 2:41 AM

09:41 9:41 AM

7 h ahead of St. Cloud, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,842

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

HUF to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

St. Cloud, MN Budapest 7,800 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

St. Cloud, MN
Budapest

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

St. Cloud, MN vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – St. Cloud, MN is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,893 per month in St. Cloud, MN and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Budapest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in St. Cloud, MN and $60.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in St. Cloud, MN, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in St. Cloud, MN at $1,929. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. Cloud, MN it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, St. Cloud, MN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.